By Rehman Asif

rehmanaseef@yahooo.com

A famous phrase “Man proposes, God disposes” is actually translation of Latin phrase “Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit”. Alternatively, a similar but much earlier usage appears of another phrase in the literature which can be loosely translated, "God bring many matters to surprising ends”. I am always amzed to explore the ends of alike matters with some different ends. Abovementioned phrases tells us that whatever man tries to achieve his goals by exercising his will power, efforts and intellectual potentialities, there is a limit to his abilities and there is some supernatural power – God – to determine the outcomes and to finalize the end of things or matters.

We all are bound to struggle and strive hard to achieve our goals and to run after our dreams. But as far as the outcome is concerned, we have no control on it to an extent. Further, it is worth adding that the most important thing while setting our goals is our intention and our under grounded objectives. Likewise, I have a firm and very strong belief to serve the humanity, nation and motherland in any manner. And I do believe that every educated and sensible person of the globe has the same feelings and passions to serve the humanity.

As a nation and as a person bothwe must set a lofty objective and can strive hard to achieve it by putting forth all our efforts and other possibilities. But there is a limit to man’s abilities. There is a supernatural power that determines the shape of things and that power shapes the end of our objective too. Man can only propose to achieve something and toil himself towards the achievement. It would not be out of context if I add here that achievements and outcomes are directly related and well connected to our intentions. Of course the ancient Greek critic – Heraclites – says, "Man is the architect of his destiny”.

In current national scenario, we as a nation and as a member of society, we direly need a catharsis that should be carried out in order to proceed further and to attain guidance for future which emanates by our inner soul. It arises many questions in mind, being the part of our cognitive conscious intellectual activity such as thinking, reasoning, or decisioningneed it too.The linkage of Catharsis with New Public Management especially in the country like Pakistan will rejuvenate the deliverance environment of Public Sector specifically. It would not be out of the context to claim that it will also detox the mindset of international observers who pointed out the biased policy making of mindless practitioners known as “Jack of all trades and master of none”.

What we need at this level to redesign our polices and system without upgrading the previous system as it has a strong influential relationship with the remnant ofPast Colonial Rule,  who enjoyedincomparable powers and privileges having no specific and direct responsibility and accountability as well. According to a report of UNO experts on Asian Democracies “the elitist culture of bureaucracy by itself is divisive producing distorted values with wrong kind of expertise having no relevance to the living knowledge of society’s needs and possibilities …. some governments are trying to top-down the processes of ‘development’ that seek to serve the masses through bureaucracies and the vested interests, the very agents from whom masses could be liberated.

The result is a continued degeneration of Asian personality starving, semi-starving, dehumanization of millions who have lost their self-respect and sense of their own potential. Many reports of various Commissions and Committees on Administrative Reforms during the last sixty years have been submitted to various Governments. This includes Cornelius Report (Pay & Services Report 1620), and also during Z.A Bhutto’s period, in which similar observations were made. In a seminar, an expert of very high credibility had remarked: “either you save Pakistan by getting rid of the generalist administrators as policy makers, or you save ACs, DCs, Commissioners and their class as policy makers”. As for as the concept of New Public Management is concerned, it had already been tested and prevailed in developed countries like UK, USA, Australia and many other European Countries as well.

Let us hope that government would avoid repeating unnecessary and outdated experimentations, and better sense would prevail in accordance with the vision of Prime Minister.